Created in 1910 by chef Louis Durand to celebrate the famous Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, which led from the center of Paris past the door of his pastry shop in Maisons-Laffitte to Brittany and back, this decadent dessert is a true French classic found in pâtisseries all over the country.

With a shape resembling that of a bicycle wheel, Paris-Brest is made with a ring of pâte à choux – a puffy hollow pastry traditionally flavored with fleur de sel, topped with flaked almonds, and baked until golden brown.

The airy pastry ring is then sliced horizontally and filled with a rich hazelnut and almond mousseline praliné cream, while the upper crust is generously dusted with powdered sugar. 

The intricate religieuse is a popular choux pastry dessert which has been a part of the French confectionery heritage since the 19th century. These tempting sweet treats are made with two spherical choux pastries, one bigger than the other one, each filled with a velvety crème pâtissière.

Each piece is individually covered in chocolate ganache which can be seen running from the sides of the pastry. The dessert is assembled and glued together with decorative buttercream. These small pastries have long historical and religious importance in France–it is believed that they were invented by Frascati, a pastry chef who worked in a famous Parisian pâtisserie. 

Niflette is a traditional puff pastry tartlet originating from Provins in Seine et Marne. It is usually made with a combination of puff pastry and pastry cream consisting of egg yolks, flour, milk, sugar, and sometimes orange blossom water. The puff pastry is cut into rounds that are superimposed and a hole in made in the two upper circles.

The holes are filled with pastry cream and the pastry tartlet is baked until golden brown. Once done, niflettes are sometimes sprinkled with icing sugar and then enjoyed piping hot with a cup of hot chocolate on the side. Niflette was originally made for All Saints Day, but nowadays it can be bought from mid-October to mid-November.